When a bottle is found on the side of the road, dirty and discarded; it has not lost it's value- it needs only to be redeemed. So it is with a man or woman in the eyes of God. We never lose our value- we need only to be redeemed. We are all precious in His sight! John 3:16

Reformed or replicated?

As my wife and I were going through the gospel of John this morning, we stumbled on to Jesus washing the disciple’s feet. My wife said, “You know honey, I believe the main thrust of what Jesus is communicating to His disciples here is primarily a matter of lordship.” In other words, Jesus was by example saying, “Yes I am the King of kings and the Lord of lords; and yes I am washing your feet. This is how I want you to love one another! No one is special here; we are all brothers, and as such, stand on equal ground.” I said, “Amen honey; good stuff!” And then I looked down and began to read the commentators opinion in an old Thomas Nelson study bible. Talk about lordship! I have one word for it: proto-catholicism; which simply means the blending of the protestant faith with that of Catholicism; which by implication points to the ministry of death. A ministry bound by sin consciousness and controlled by fear, guilt, and shame.

(Thomas Nelson, NKJV Copyright 1982)

To wash his feet: This is symbolic. A believer has already been cleansed. He or she only needs the cleansing of daily sins that come through confession, (of course they list 1 John 1:9). Thus Jesus washing the disciple’s feet not only is a model of service, but it represents the ultimate in service/ forgiveness of sins.

(Word focus – Thomas Nelson) – In speaking to Peter, Jesus used two different Greek words to indicate two different kinds of washing. The Greek word nipto (13:5, 6, 8, 10), is used to indicate the washing of the extremities, the hands and the feet. The Greek word louo specifically means “bathing.” According to the social customs of those times, once a person had bathed his entire body, he needed only to wash his feet before partaking of a meal. In his response to Peter, Jesus used both words in order to advance a precious truth: Just as those who have bathed need only to wash their feet so believers who have been bathed by the Lord through His word and the Spirit (see 15:3, Eph. 5:26, and Titus 3:5) need only to wash themselves daily from the filth and defilement they accumulate by their contact with the world.

Authors note:

I believe these comments would make Luther roll over in his grave; but please read John 13:1-17 that you may by the spirit discern for yourself what is true and what is false. Personally I do not see anything about confession or the filth and the defilement we accumulate through our daily contact with the world. What I do see however, is a perversion of the scriptures via the comments made by whoever put these publications out. God bless you all, and may you always find your rest in the eternal finished work of our precious Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Commentary by:

George L. Miller

P.S. – My intention is not to bash Thomas Nelson, the protestant or catholic faith; or anyone for that matter; it is simply to put forth liberating truth!